Right now Medical device hazard analysis, the core of medical devices

Medical device hazard analysis is of vital importance to a medical device. Medical device hazard analysis is at the heart of medical devices because if the device is not analyzed thoroughly for the hazard, or danger, that it poses, it is likely to cause problems of any kind to the user. Many a time, it becomes a matter of life and death. This is why medical device hazard analysis is of foremost importance.

So, what is medical device hazard analysis? Medical device hazard analysis may be defined as a structured method of analyzing the inherent and potential problems that a medical device could have at any stage of its production or after it is released into the market.

The need for medical device hazard analysis

Medical device hazard analysis has to be done for a number of reasons. It is required by the FDA as part of a product development Design Control Program. The FDA recommends ISO 14971 as the standard for medical device hazard analysis. This is because the ISO 14971 hazard analysis standard is considered the most comprehensive of all medical device hazard analysis tools.

What makes this so is that the ISO 14971 takes risk into consideration in normal state, as opposed to other tools such as Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), which only consider fault conditions. The latter two, in relation to the ISO 14971 standard, are more suitable for as tools for reliability rather than as those for product safety.

However, despite the uses it has; medical device hazard analysis in relation to ISO 14971 is considered quite complex because of the free and broad implication of a few important terms, even if they are pretty straightforward in terms of their definitions. Some of the words that cause confusion over their interpretation when they are being put to practical use include:

Hazard: Generally described as the potential site or basis of harm

Hazardous situation: A circumstance or situation which exposes people to a hazardous event or environment

Harm: Any degree of physical damage or injury from the medical device to the people working with it, or to the property or to the environment

Causative event: An event that may be said to be the source or cause of an adverse event in a medical device

ALARP: As Low as Reasonably Practicable, or judging how to weigh a risk against its benefits. This involves having to take a tricky decision in many situations

Risk index: A risk index is about assigning a score that will help determine the course of action when the risk index falls within categories

Residual risk: The level or extent of risk that remains after all the measures for risk control have been implemented.

There is more to medical device hazard analysis than these

The fact of having to take all these plus other factors into consideration for medical device hazard analysis makes it a challenging matter, because medical device hazard analysis should be done in such a manner that nothing is left to chance.

Want to understand the intricacies of medical device hazard analysis? Then, enroll for a highly relevant and absorbing session on medical device hazard analysis. This webinar is being organized by Compliance4All, a highly recognized provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance. Just log on to http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501207?Wordpress-SEO to register.

Clearing the confusion about terms in medical device hazard analysis

At this session, Edwin Waldbusser, who has been consulting in the US and internationally in the areas of design control, risk analysis and software validation, will be the speaker. He will throw light on all the confusing terms listed above. He will offer clarity on how to prepare a thorough that will help those participating into this learning session.

Edwin will go step by step through a template for hazard analysis to help clear the confusion about the meaning of these terms and make the process clear. He will discuss examples of hazards and hazardous situations and explain how to deal with residual risk. He will walk participants step by step through a typical medical device hazard analysis.

Also explained in this session on medical device hazard analysis is the way of integrating Human Factors studies into the Hazard Analysis and how to integrate Hazard Analysis into the design program.

In the course of this lively discussion on medical device hazard analysis, Edwin will cover the following areas: